A resilient Debian GNU/Linux derivative for indestructible installations

PC distribution with the data partition mounted on top of a read-only system partition, resistent to filesystem-corruption.  For 64bit desktops.

:: resilient

A Debian GNU/Linux (Buster) derivative with a unique partitioning scheme crafted for maximizing the strength against filesystem corruption: the ISO9660 system partition is read-only by design at filesystem-level.

:: ductile

Persistence partition contains only the diffs from the stock installation; system updates and your data lay there – you can do complete system backups/snapshots by just tar-ring the files contained within that partition.

:: secure

Persistence partition can be encrypted with one click during the installation.

:: friendly

Resilient Linux has been thought and tuned for desktop installations only.

Elegant, easy-to-use desktop
Rock-solid system

Install
instructions 

In order to install Resilient Linux into your PC or Mac, first write the downloaded installer image onto a USB stick. Follow the steps described depending on the operating system you use for creating the USB key.

Then boot the computer you want to install Resilient Linux into and just use the provided Installer.

Booting the computer with the live environment of the installer allows you to try Resilient Linux before installing.

Write the USB key from a Linux

Make use of dd; if the device file corresponding to the USB key is /dev/sdx for example, do:
dd if=path/to/resilientlinux.iso of=/dev/sdx bs=10M

 learn more

Write the USB key from a Windows

Make use of Etcher for the write,
www.balena.io/etcher

 learn more

Write the USB key from a Mac

Make use of Etcher for the write,
www.balena.io/etcher

 learn more

Install into the target system

Boot the computer with the USB key and run the Installer application.

 learn more

In a couple of minutes or less, the Installer will easily install the operating system into your PC’s hard drive. Resilient Linux requires at least 4GB of RAM memory.

You can optionally set a password for encrypting the persistence partition (encryption process may not support old hardware).

You can test/use Resilient Linux in a virtualized environment as well, the same way you are used to do with any other operating system. VirtualBox is supported and tested. Give some video memory and enable the 3D acceleration on the hypervisor.

Usage

System user will be created upon the first boot with the GNOME Initial Setup Tool (name, region, i18n can be setup here).

Use sudo for super-cow powers.

Due to the system’s unique partitioning scheme, some programs may not work, for example Dropbox doesn’t, but the good news is that Dropbox Maestral does.

Backup & restore

You can backup your system with ease and then restore to the same or another PC, with the same Resilient Linux version installed.

 For backing up your persistent data (which are, after all, the diffs from the stock installation), just tar the rw folder within the fourth (persistence) partition and take note of the running kernel version (the contained kernel modules must match the running kernel).

Restore is a two phase process:

1. Make the system’s kernel match the kernel version you used for your backed system.
2. Untar the rw.tar file as the rw folder in the persistence partition and reboot.

Procedure will be automated in the future reseases of Reslient Linux.

Trick. The persistence partition is already unlocked and mounted on the running system in /run/live/persistence/sdX4.

CASE STUDY

System snapshots

Taking a snapshot of the entire operating system (for example before a risky update) is as easy as the image shows!

Download the desktop image

Reset to defaults

Resilient Linux can be reset to defaults by booting it with the Reset to defaults option on the bootloader.

In order to avoid accidental disasters, you need to edit the boot option’s command line and add the “sk-factory-reset-confirm” parameter for confirmation.

System will be kept back to the stock installation, every data will be erased and the initial kernel will be applied. The persistence partition encryption key isn’t modified.

Reset to defaults feature available from Resilient Linux 2.2.

Open source

Resilient Linux and Resilient Linux Installer are free and open-source software, whose development is hosted on GitHub. Feel free to contribute to the projects.

Technically, Resilient Linux is a persistent (optionally encrypted) next-generation live operating system: an operating system based on Debian GNU/Linux which features a liveng partitioning scheme, originally thought for live operating systems. Resilient Linux, however, is hard drive installable: the liveng compliancy (programs and kernel updates with a readonly system partition) is thus suitable for “indestructible” hard drive installations.

Resilient Linux differs from the LumIT Labs’ liveng definition in the way the readonly second system partition is rewritten: a hook is called at every initramfs update and not only within a kernel package’s postinst. This allows using the standard Debian kernel packages and it’s more robust. Behaviour is accomplished by forking the live-tool package – see the /bin/live-update-initramfs file inside.

GitHub home : : liveng whitepaper